


The Umbrella Term

by soccermom_max



Series: for a moment, the world came back to life [3]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: LGBT Themes, M/M, Non-Binary Bucky Barnes, cutting it close on this one, happy pride! again, how tf do tags even work, this is a gay fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24975946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soccermom_max/pseuds/soccermom_max
Summary: “So, like… how do you know? You know, if you’re- um-““Non-binary?” Peter grinned at Bucky with a knowing smile.“Yeah, that. How do you know?”(or the one where Bucky can finally put a name to it)
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: for a moment, the world came back to life [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1802788
Comments: 5
Kudos: 170
Collections: Bi Bi Bi. (And everything else)





	The Umbrella Term

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Little Spider](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24948436) by [okaybi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/okaybi/pseuds/okaybi). 



> i wont say that this is me projecting onto bucky again but it's definitely me projecting onto bucky again -max

Bucky was maybe 13 when he first considered that something about him was… off. Different from the rest. He didn’t bring it up to Steve, because honestly, it wasn’t something he had time to worry about between work and school.

But he did think about it, sometimes. He was 14 when he looked in the mirror and thought about growing his hair out, long and pretty like a girl, then shook his head, because 𝘦𝘸, 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵. He stopped looking into mirrors unless he really had to soon after.

15 when he dropped out of school to work full time at the docks when his father’s salary at the bank was cut, also the year that he and Steve would later base their anniversary off of, and he first began to realize that he wasn’t always entirely comfortable with the idea of being a man and the endowments that came with it.

16 when Sarah Rogers died and he moved all his belongings into the apartment she and Steve had shared.

17 when he was dancing with another faceless and nameless girl in the dance hall, Steve watching them from the sidelines, and she called him a “strapping young lad,” and Bucky had to excuse himself so he could sit down and breathe for a second because ‘lad’ did _not_ sit right with him.

The little things kept adding up, niggling in the back of his mind that he was wrong somehow, someway, but with the war he quickly ceased all thoughts that weren’t strictly Steve and survival.

And then he didn’t think at all for a very long time.

* * *

“What’s a… blue tooth?” Steve asked hesitantly.

“It’s when you eat dish soap and it sticks to your teeth. Keep up, Steve.” Bucky answered astutely. Steve shook his head, grinning and ignoring how Tony sighed a little and poured something from a flask into his coffee.

“Don’t be shy, hand it over.” Clint made grabby motions with his hands and Tony chucked the half-empty flask at Clint before he took a sip, made a face, and handed it to nat, who promptly chugged whatever was left.

Steve looked back down at his phone, frowned, and asked, “What does non-binary mean?”

Bucky opened his mouth, closed it again, then said, “Dunno on that one. Have you tried google? Heard it’s pretty innovative.”

“It’s when you don’t identify as a man or woman. They/them pronouns, you know?” Peter said, not even looking up from their phone.

“You can do that?” Bucky asked, head tilting in an inquisitive manner.

“I mean,” Peter shrugged from their place curled up against Harley. “I do that.”

Bucky paused, thinking about that. Conversation picked back up, and the topic changed, but he was still stuck on something Peter had said. He leaned over towards Peter, nudging the teen with his flesh arm. “So, like… how do you know? You know, if you’re- um-“

“Non-binary?” Peter grinned at Bucky with a knowing smile.

“Yeah, that. How do you know?”

Peter shrugged. “It’s different for everyone, I guess. Personally it was just, like, I don’t know. The first big hint was questioning my gender, the second one was when someone told me the biggest symptom of being non-binary was not wanting to be a man or woman. And the term non-binary is different for everyone, too. It’s like- like an umbrella term?”

“Like how you say you’re gay for Timothee Chalamet and Harry Styles when you’re actually bi,” Bucky offered.

“Exactly, you get it!” Peter exclaimed. Bucky thought for a moment that he was catching up on gen z culture quite nicely. “But yeah, first thing to consider when you’re looking at your gender is the fact that you’re even bothering in the first place.”

“I still can’t believe how Peter came out to me!” Harley joined in on the conversation, turning the heads of Tony and Bruce. Steve, Nat, Clint, and Sam kept talking about the delis near Times Square. Or something.

“Okay, look, it was _romantic_ -"

“We were flirting about hamburgers!”

“How does one flirt about hamburgers…?” Bruce mumbled to Tony, who shook his head with a small grin.

“It felt like the right time-“

“I support you no matter what, you know this, but what a way to make an impression-“

“I think I’m non-binary?” Bucky stated it more like a question than anything else, but his voice still rung out. “I mean, like, maybe? I don’t-“

“Buckaroo, you don’t need to prove yourself to us. Just keep us updated on what pronouns make you comfy and we’ll do it.” Tony cut Bucky’s stammering off before frowning and turning to Peter. “How the hell do you flirt about burgers?”

Peter shrugged. “Talent.”

“Colossal dumbassary from both parties.” Harley grumbled.

Peter pat Harley on the head. “That’s just you, babe.”

Bucky ignored them, turning to his boyfriend. “How would you feel about that?”

“About what?” Steve questioned, turning his attention to Bucky.

“Me,” Bucky gestured you himself. “Using they/them.” Steve shrugged.

“If that’s who you are, I’m in no place to deny that, Buck.” He shrugged. “Would you still want to be called Bucky?”

Bucky pursed their lips, hiding his face in Steve’s chest. “No,” he decided, shaking his head against Steve’s pec. “Anything else feels weird. Can you just, like, try it out?”

Steve smiled down at his best friend, his love of 70 years, and placed a kiss in his boyfriends hair. “Of course, doll.”

They parted among a chorus of, “Get a room’s!” From the other Avengers (and a ‘get it, old man!’ from Clint), but Bucky couldn’t help but feel lighter now.


End file.
